# El Dorado Hills Heat Pump Installation, CA

> Heat pump installation in El Dorado Hills: PG&E and Pioneer rates, El Dorado County email permits, propane and gas homes, and 2000s systems. Get an estimate.

URL: https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/el-dorado-hills/

Ducted heat pump conversions and replacements for El Dorado Hills, permitted through El Dorado County and planned around PG&E delivery, Pioneer Community Energy generation and the house's current fuel.

## What brings El Dorado Hills homeowners to a heat pump

A

### A Folsom neighbor on a different utility

Folsom homes buy power from SMUD and qualify for its heat pump rebate. El Dorado Hills is PG&E territory with Pioneer generation, so neither the SMUD rebate nor its rates apply.

B

### A 2000s house replacing its original system

57.1% of El Dorado Hills homes were built in 2000 or later, so many original furnaces and air conditioners are reaching replacement age around the same time.

C

### A house that heats with propane

6.9% of El Dorado Hills households heat with tank or LP gas, against 27.4% across El Dorado County. A heat pump removes the tank delivery from the heating budget.

D

### A change-out filed by email

El Dorado County's trade email permit program covers residential replacement of existing heating and cooling equipment without plan review, for licensed contractors who meet its conditions.

## Heat pump services in El Dorado Hills

Furnace to heat pump conversion

One ducted heat pump in place of the gas furnace and the central AC, sized from a load calculation and tested to Title 24.

Dual fuel heat pump

A heat pump added to a gas furnace that still has life in it, with the changeover point set from your utility's rates and the house's heat loss.

Heat pump replacement

An aging heat pump swapped for a matched, correctly sized system, with the ducts tested and the charge verified under Title 24.

Air handler replacement

A new indoor fan and coil cabinet matched to the outdoor unit, with the drain, filter, backup heat and duct test done to Title 24.

Variable speed heat pump

An inverter-driven heat pump that runs at the output the house needs, sized and set up for Sacramento's heat and SMUD's rebate tiers.

El Dorado Hills sits across a county line from Folsom, and that line moves three things a heat pump depends on: the electric utility, the permit office and the paperwork the installing contractor needs. [Tule Sacramento Heat Pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/) plans ducted heat pump conversions and replacements in El Dorado Hills, with the installation carried out by licensed and insured contractors who meet El Dorado County’s requirements.

## What changes at the county line

The climate barely shifts between the two communities. The administrative side changes almost completely.

|  | Folsom | El Dorado Hills |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Electric delivery | SMUD | PG&E |
| Generation | SMUD | Pioneer Community Energy |
| Permit office | City of Folsom | El Dorado County Building Services |
| Title 24 climate zone | 12 | 12 |
| Cooling design, 1% | 99°F (Folsom Dam) | 98°F |
| Heating design, 0.2% | 31°F (Folsom Dam) | 30°F |
| Utility heat pump rebate | SMUD, on qualifying equipment | None found |

The design figures come from the Energy Commission’s JA2 tables, and the utility split from its load-serving-entity maps. Near the boundary, the meter decides the utility, so it is read from a recent bill. The [Folsom page](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/folsom/) covers the SMUD side.

## Design weather at 673 feet

The Energy Commission’s station for El Dorado Hills sits at 673 feet, above the valley floor. Its cooling design runs 103°F at 0.1%, 100°F at 0.5% and 98°F at 1%. Its heating design is 30°F at 0.2% and 34°F at 0.6%, with a median annual extreme of 24°F.

### What that means for the equipment

The summer numbers match Sacramento’s closely, so the cooling load usually sets the size here too. The winter numbers run a little colder than the valley, which makes the backup heat setting and defrost controls worth checking at commissioning rather than leaving at factory defaults. A properly sized ducted heat pump does not need cold-climate-rated equipment for these temperatures, but the [aux heat and defrost guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-aux-heat-defrost/) explains when the backup strips should engage.

## El Dorado County’s email permit program

### What the handout covers

The County’s “Licensed Contractors Trade Email Permit Program” handout lists residential replacement of existing mechanical equipment, including electric and gas HVAC, ducts, furnaces, AC coils and condensers, as work that can be permitted by email without plan review. A heat pump that replaces a furnace and air conditioner in the same locations fits that description.

### Who can use it

Participation requires an appropriate California contractor’s license, a current El Dorado County business license and a registered account on the County’s eTRAKiT system. Building Services can be reached at 530-621-5315. The handout dates from a 2020 revision, so the program’s status and fees are confirmed per project before the permit is filed.

### What still follows the install

The email permit does not skip the state steps. Title 24 requires the ducts on a changed-out system to be sealed and tested, and the heat pump’s refrigerant charge and airflow verified, by an ECC-Rater. The [permit and Title 24 guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-permit-title-24/) explains the inspection sequence.

## Houses from the 2000s and after

Census figures put 57.1% of El Dorado Hills homes as built in 2000 or later and only 11.9% before 1980, with 90.0% single-family detached and 87.5% owner-occupied. Those are community figures, not a finding about any one house.

### The original system at replacement age

Where a house still has its first furnace and AC, a conversion usually swaps the outdoor unit and replaces the furnace with an [air handler](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-air-handler-replacement/) in the same location. The ducts are generally younger than in older suburbs, but they still have to pass the leakage test, and a 2000s return may be undersized for the 300 cfm per ton a heat pump needs to pass charge verification.

### Hills, slopes and larger homes

On a sloped or terraced lot, the outdoor unit location is chosen for a level pad, drainage of defrost melt water and line-set length. A larger two-story house may already have two systems, and each is sized and permitted on its own.

## Gas, propane or electric: where the house starts

Most El Dorado Hills homes are on PG&E gas, but not all. The Census shows 6.9% of households here heat with tank or LP gas, and 27.4% across El Dorado County as a whole.

- **PG&E gas furnace and central AC.** A [gas furnace to heat pump conversion](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/gas-furnace-to-heat-pump-conversion/) removes the furnace and replaces the AC with one system.
- **Propane furnace.** The heat pump replaces propane for heating. The fuel comparison comes from your own delivery invoices, since no official local propane price series exists.
- **Furnace with years left.** A [dual fuel heat pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/dual-fuel-heat-pump/) keeps the furnace as backup for the coldest hours.
- **Older electric heat pump.** A like-for-like [heat pump replacement](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/heat-pump-replacement/) with updated equipment.

## Running costs on PG&E with Pioneer generation

PG&E’s E-ELEC plan, open to homes that use an electric heat pump as their primary heating and cooling, charges $0.28468 per kWh off-peak and $0.32063 at peak in winter, as bundled rates. Against PG&E’s residential gas baseline of about $2.54 per therm, the break-even for a heat pump against a 95% furnace is a COP of about 3.1 to 3.5. That figure is derived from the two tariffs. Pioneer’s generation rates replace PG&E’s generation portion, so the totals on your own bill are the real test.

### Where the value comes from

Heating savings over gas are modest on PG&E rates. The case rests on replacing an aging AC and furnace with one system, on summer cooling efficiency, and on PG&E’s 4 to 9 p.m. summer peak, where a [variable-speed heat pump](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/variable-speed-heat-pump/) running slowly costs less than a single-stage unit cycling hard. The [heat pump vs gas furnace guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-vs-gas-furnace-sacramento/) and the [electric bill guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-electric-bill-sacramento/) carry the comparison further.

### Incentives

Neither SMUD’s heat pump rebate nor any PG&E single-family heat pump rebate applies here, and the statewide programs are closed. The [California rebate guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/california-heat-pump-rebates/) lists what remains.

## From first call to final inspection

1. **Bill and fuel check.** The PG&E rate plan, Pioneer generation, and whether the furnace burns gas or propane.
2. **Assessment.** Load calculation at the 98°F design, duct inspection, static pressure and the panel’s capacity.
3. **Scope and permit.** A written, itemized scope, then the County email permit or standard permit.
4. **Installation.** Old refrigerant recovered, equipment set, lines brazed, pressure-tested and evacuated.
5. **Verification.** Airflow and charge, the ECC-Rater visit and the County’s final inspection.

For what pushes a quote above or below the typical range, see the [Sacramento cost guide](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-installation-cost-sacramento/).

Plan a heat pump in El Dorado Hills

Share the street, your PG&E bill and what the furnace burns. The plan starts with the fuel, the ducts and the County permit.

## Neighborhoods, landmarks and routes

- El Dorado Hills
- Serrano
- Town Center
- Lake Forest

### Landmarks

- Folsom Lake
- El Dorado Hills Town Center
- New York Creek Trail

### Main routes

- US-50
- El Dorado Hills Blvd
- Latrobe Rd
- Green Valley Rd

1. 1. Carmichael, Fair Oaks and Arden-Arcade
2. 2. Citrus Heights
3. 3. Davis and Woodland
4. 4. El Dorado Hills
5. 5. Elk Grove
6. 6. Folsom
7. 7. Land Park, Curtis Park and East Sacramento
8. 8. Rocklin, Lincoln, Loomis and Granite Bay
9. 9. Roseville
10. 10. West Sacramento

Planning a heat pump in El Dorado Hills?

Call with your current system, the rooms that bother you and your ZIP code.

## El Dorado Hills questions

### What should an El Dorado Hills homeowner budget for a ducted heat pump conversion?

Sacramento-area projects that replace a gas furnace and central AC with a ducted heat pump typically land between about $15,000 and $24,000 before incentives, with typical jobs near $18,000 to $19,000. New ducts in the same project put it closer to $20,000 to $31,000. El Dorado Hills is outside SMUD, so its rebate is not subtracted, and the County permit fee is added for the parcel.

### Why does the installing contractor need an El Dorado County business license?

Because the County's trade email permit program requires it. Its handout lists three conditions for filing residential equipment replacements by email: an appropriate California contractor's license, a current El Dorado County business license and a registered eTRAKiT account. A contractor without them uses the County's standard permit route instead.

### Can a propane furnace in El Dorado Hills be replaced with a heat pump?

Yes, where the house has ducts. The heat pump takes over the heating and cooling, and the propane furnace is removed or, in a dual fuel setup, kept as backup for the coldest hours. The cost comparison uses your own propane delivery invoices, since no official local propane price series exists to compare against.

### Does the SMUD rebate apply in El Dorado Hills, next door to Folsom?

No. SMUD's heat pump rebate requires an active SMUD account, and the Energy Commission's utility maps place El Dorado Hills in PG&E's electric territory. No PG&E single-family heat pump rebate was found, and the statewide TECH Clean California and federal HEEHRA programs are closed to new reservations.

### Is a heat pump cheaper to heat with than gas in El Dorado Hills?

Only narrowly, if at all. On PG&E's E-ELEC plan, a heat pump has to deliver about 3.1 to 3.5 units of heat per unit of electricity to match a 95% gas furnace on winter fuel cost, a figure derived from PG&E's tariffs. Whether a system averages that depends on its rated efficiency and the winter weather, so the case usually rests on replacing the AC and the furnace together.

## Related guides

- Decision Guide [Is a heat pump or a gas furnace better for a Sacramento home?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-vs-gas-furnace-sacramento/)How the two compare on Sacramento's winter mornings, what each costs to run under SMUD, Roseville Electric and PG&E rates, how they differ in comfort, safety and upkeep, and which households should keep gas for now.
- Learn [How much will a heat pump add to your electric bill in Sacramento?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-electric-bill-sacramento/)How heating moves from the gas bill to the electric bill, what a therm of heat costs under each local rate plan, how summer peaks and fixed charges work, and the settings that keep a heat pump's bill from creeping up.
- Learn [What does a heat pump permit in Sacramento involve, and what does Title 24 check?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-permit-title-24/)The permit office for each part of the region, what the City of Sacramento's standard change-out permit allows, every Title 24 test a change-out carries, and how SB 222 reshapes permits from 2027.
- Learn [What heat pump rebates are still available in California for Sacramento-area homes?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/california-heat-pump-rebates/)A program-by-program status check for the incentives that used to stack on a heat pump, what each electric utility in the region offers, the income-qualified help that remains, and how to budget when no rebate applies.
- Cost Guide [How much does heat pump installation cost in Sacramento?](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/guide/heat-pump-installation-cost-sacramento/)Typical Sacramento-area ranges for ducted heat pump jobs, the public figures inside a price, permit fees by jurisdiction, the parts only a site visit can price, and which incentives are still open.

## Nearby service areas

- [Folsom](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/folsom/)A SMUD address a few miles from PG&E territory
- [Carmichael, Fair Oaks and Arden-Arcade](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/carmichael-fair-oaks/)A County parcel with a Sacramento mailing address
- [Rocklin, Lincoln, Loomis and Granite Bay](https://tulesacramentoheatpump.com/service-areas/rocklin/)A summer design day five degrees hotter than Sacramento's